Posted on 06/17/2004 11:16:30 PM PDT by AdmSmith
ISLAMABAD (CNN) -- A tribal leader accused of harboring Al Qaeda militants in Pakistan's western border region was killed Thursday night in a targeted missile strike, according to Pakistan intelligence sources. The Associated Press quoted an army spokesman Friday as identifying the tribal leader as Nek Mohammed, a former Taliban fighter.
He was killed late Thursday at the home of another tribal chief, the spokesman said.
"We were tracking him down and he was killed last night by our hand," Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan told The Associated Press.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
Interesting about Mangratai, wish we could communicate with some of our guys there.
--Boot Hill
Here is the big carrot...
http://www.pakistantimes.net/2004/07/23/top3.htm
Political Administration Softens Wana Sanctions
Pakistan Times Staff Report
WANA (South Waziristan): South Waziristan Political Administration has announced relief in economic sanctions imposed over Ahmedzai Wazir tribesmen.
The sanctions were clamped by the political administration over the tribesmen on May 29 for not cooperating for getting registered the aliens and not producing the wanted men to the administration.
The decision of softening the sanctions was made after production of six relatives of the wanted men by the Jirga to the authorities.
Backdrop
The relief in economic sanctions was allowed for ten days as the tribal elders have assured of taking action against the wanted men Moulvi Abbas and Javed Khan within 10 days, Political Agent, South Waziristan Asmatullah Gandapur said.
Ahmedzai Wazir tribesmen were allowed to transport fruits and vegetables from Wana to other districts out of the agency from today. Other punitive steps including closure of public transport and Wana Bazaar would be remained in effect.
Roads Opened
The political authorities of South Waziristan Agency Thursday lifted the ban on transportation of fruit and vegetable to other parts of the country for a week.
The step is aimed at helping the farmers whose crops had been rotting due to the blockade of roads over row with the tribesmen on the issue of registration of foreign militants. The Wana-Jandola road, which remained sealed off for more than seven weeks, was opened at 12.30 pm on the request of a Jirga of Ahmadzai Wazir following the surrender of close relatives of the two most wanted militants, Commander Javed and Maulavi Abbas.
Both the wanted tribesmen have resisted surrender to the authorities on charges of giving protection to foreign militants and challenging the security forces and organizing attacks on government installations.
The father of Commander Javed was among those handed over to the authorities as a guarantee of peace from the militants the previous day. A temporary market has been established at Kari Kot to stock fruits and vegetable and arrange its transportation outside the agency.
UNHCR Officials
Wana valley, locals as well as UNHCR officials said, became greener after deserts were converted into cultivable lands with the arrival of Afghan refugees in early 1980s. "There used to be barren lands and deserts before the refugees came, but now Wana is the lush green valley because of them," remarked a UNHCR official. The Afghan refugees, these sources said, have contributed a lot to boost agriculture in the area and introduce cross-border business.
South Waziristan was among the few areas, which served as the main supply route for Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and also shot to fame due to the weapons business, a gift of war in the neighbouring country
... and here is the big stick.
http://thepakistaninewspaper.com/news_detail.php?id=1047
70,000 troops deployed for safety of Western borders: Faisal
LONDON, July 22: Federal Minister for Interior Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat Thursday reiterated that military crackdown in South Waziristan Agency (SWA) was only aimed to ensure national security.
Talking to BBC Mr Faisal said that at present Pakistan has deployed more than 70,000 paramilitary troops and eighty military check posts are being constituted for the safety of Western borders.
"All these steps are aimed to make sure that every breach in security of the area is handled amicably, we will not let any one destroy the aura of the region by their terrorist activities," he noted.
Interior Minister reiterated that the operation in Wana and other parts of SWA is not carried out on behest of US.
"This operation was merely aimed to secure the area from foreign miscreants and it has nothing to do with US," he added.
When asked whether government faced difficulties in fighting tribals he said: "Yes, we faced troubles but these troubles were only because we wanted to make sure that locals are safe during the operation and we accomplished this goal. Our operation was successful and we have completely wiped out terrorists from entire area."
Commenting on peace and security in neighbouring Afghanistan, Interior Minister said that security and peace in Kabul and other provinces of Afghanistan is responsibility of NATO and (ISAF).
He said that NATO or ISAF are not solely aimed to ensure peace in Kabul, Bagram and borders adjoining Pakistan but they have wider range of jobs to do. "Peace and stability in entire Afghanistan is their responsibility and that is the main objective and if it's achieved it is a major success," he held.-Online
Yes, that's a big stick......
... yes, when we add our backup from the sky.
Here is an article about the battle for the heart(stomach) and mind:
http://www.paknews.com/top.php?id=1&date1=2004-07-20
Pakistani Troops Enter Tribal Areas
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: July 19, 2004- Troops of Frontier Corps entered into Shakai Valley of South Waziristan Agency, on Monday, amid rousing welcome of thousands of tribesmen who had gathered to warmly receive the troops. They were carrying banners inscribed with slogans welcoming Frontier Corps in their area and denouncing terrorism.
Secretary FATA Security Brig. (R) Mehmood Shah, Political Agent Asmatullah Gandapur, former Senator Malik Faridullah Khan, Maulana Abdul Malik MNA, tribal elders and officials of political administration were present on the occasion.
FC troops entered into the valley in the aftermath of agreement reached between the government and local tribes last week. Spekai, Khomakhe, Shodakai and Khojal Khel tribes of Ahmadzai Wazir while Miami and Malakshahi tribes of Utmanzai wazir tribe had assured government of all out support besides furnishing a guarantee worth Rs. One crore with government. The tribes under the agreement have pledged that they will not provide sanctuary to foreignersterrorists, protect military installations and assist government in development activities. Prominent tribal leader Malik Faridullah Khan played crucial role in gathering the tribes of Shakai on a single platform and brokering the agreement.
Addressing the gathering Senator Malik Farid Ullah Khan welcomed deployment of FC Troops in the area and hoped that it will ensure peace and stability in the area. He said that peaceful environment was the most important pre-requisite for the development and progress. He thanked government for giving Tehsil status to Shakai. Malik Faridullah Khan urged all tribes to strengthen the hands of security forces for securing frontiers of the country and maintaining peace in the agency.
Brigadier (R) Mehmood Shah while addressing on the occasion said that it was a matter of great satisfaction that all tribes were able to gather for the cause of peace in the area. He said that government will not allow few individuals to disturb peaceful atmosphere in the area for their ulterior motives. He said that the government will soon initiate massive development works which will change the socio-economic lot of the people of the area. He hoped that all tribesmen will abide by their pledge and ensure peace in the area.
Later Brig. ® Mehmood Shah distributed food stuff worth Rs. 0.6 million on behalf of the Governor NWFP among affectees and poor people of the area.
Is this due to the convention or the operation the coming weekend?
http://news4colorado.com/nationworld/topstories_story_205111932.html
CIA Officials: Bin Laden Will Be Caught
July 23, 2004 9:18 am US/Mountain
WASHINGTON (AP) Al-Qaida's leaders have faced increasingly aggressive Pakistani military operations in June and July, a senior CIA official said as the agency came under attack for failing to combat the threat from Osama bin Laden before Sept. 11.
U.S. intelligence officials think bin Laden is hiding somewhere along the rugged Afghan-Pakistani border. Military and intelligence agencies from numerous countries, but most significantly Pakistan as of late, have assisted in the search for him over the nearly three years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin has pledged recently that bin Laden will still be caught.
"We have pins on a map. We have reports," said a second senior CIA official, speaking of bin Laden's whereabouts. The officials briefed reporters at CIA headquarters about a highly critical report released Thursday by the presidential commission investigating Sept. 11.
Still, bin Laden remains elusive.
The commission's report detailed a series of strategic and tactical mistakes made by the intelligence community, including missed opportunities to go after terrorist operatives and thwart the attack.
Even today, intelligence veterans have said the agency has no useful idea where bin Laden is.
"It is the same as always. They have a general idea, but they don't have specifics. They can put a pin on a map, but that pin is going to cover 40 square miles, and there is no guarantee he is in the pin area," said Vince Cannistraro, a former CIA counterterrorism chief.
Federal officials have warned of a heightened risk of attack leading up to this country's November elections. The first CIA official said credible evidence suggests that bin Laden and other senior leaders called "al-Qaida central" are thought to be currently planning attacks.
Other groups sharing the same militant ideology are plotting as well.
"You're seeing parallel things going on. You're seeing the continuation of the remnants of the al-Qaida that we began destroying over time," the official said. "At the same time, you're seeing organizations that took ideological inspiration, themselves trying to conduct attacks.
"That gives you a picture of the world."
BinLAdin ain't stupid. He's long gone, perhaps north to Pakistani Kashmir, the Pamir Mountains or the Northern Areas.
Or as he did in 2002, the Binori Mosque Compound in Karachi.
Most HVT's have been caught in Pakistani cities, not the badlands.
I think Bin Laden's still in the tribal areas. I agree that he will bug out when the fighting gets close, but past experience says he will stay and exhort his men to fight until then.
During Tora Bora, he was there early on, and his forces were fighting hard. Then he took off, and shortly thereafter, so did they. In the tribal areas, the enemy is fighting hard, and in some cases, taking the offensive. As long as they feel that they can maintain acceptable casualty ratios against the Pak Army, they will continue to fight. When it appears they will be overrun, they retreat.
Adm Smith, thanks for the update. I'm keeping an eye out on this because if AQ really is massing near Wana, it represents a new dimension.
On a different note, I keep coming across two words in the mapmaking, "Narai" and "Algad". From the locations of villages bearing these names, Narai may mean "ridge" or "pass", and Algad may mean river or stream crossing. Considering the significance of these possible meanings, it could shorten the process quite a bit. Do you have any confirmation or translation information?
We think; we don't know.
>>During Tora Bora, he was there early on
Yeah, like in OCtober. By the time we started bombing he was long gone to Pakistan.
His exhortations were from Pakistan.
But, opinions will differ.
Algad: Check here for some Algads:
http://wayhoo.com/index/a/sgns/country/PK/dsg/SBED/results/1/cty/Pakistan/
It is stated as "dry stream bed"
B ut my guess is "dry watercourse liable to spates in the wet season"
From "Al Qaeda" by the BBC's Jane Corbin:
Once he reached the village of Milawa, Bin Laden disappeared into the network of caves excavated by the mujahideen in the war against the Soviets. American B-52's began to pound the hillsides in the last week in November."
"Bin Laden was seen on November 26, after the bombing started, by a group of his Yemeni fighters. He was nursing a glass of green tea and mumbling about the 'holy war'. Hazret Ali (Pak warlord, under contract to US military forces overseeing the battle at Tora Bora) was certain the leader of Al Qaeda was in the caves, and told me that documents found there, as well as prisoners, confirmed it."
"Bin Laden's own Saudi cook, Mohamed Akram, emerged later to relate how he was making dinner for his master when a huge bomb exploded at the entrance of the cave, blowing him back some 30 feet. On November 30, Akram claimed that he and other fighters were given Iranian currency and told to escape from Tora Bora. According to Akram, Bin Laden left on foot with just a few followers. That account was backed up by another Saudi Al Qaeda man, financier Abu Jaffar, whose foot was blown off by a cluster bomb as he fled.. He told reporters in the village of upper Pachir in early December that Bin Laden had already headed for Parachinar, just over the border in Afghanistan.
While these accounts from Al Qaeda insiders may well be deliberately misleading, American and British intelligence also believe that sometime during the first few days of December, the world's most wanted man escaped the world's most powerful military machine, making his way through the mountains and into the border area of Pakistan. Bin Laden's ghostly voice was heard on a radio directing his troops around December 5.
The exodus of the top leadership was followed by a rush from Al Qaeda's ranks, aided by local people, and even some of the warlords who were supposed to be the spearhead of Amercian efforts to crush the terror network. Maulvi Younis Khan, the Al Qaeda sympathizer, was busy behind the scenes; his own envoy, ensconsed in the caves, radioed back to Hazret Ali and Haji Zaman Gamsharik (another Jalalabad area warlord under US contract) that Al Qaeda was seeking a surrender agreement. 'This was just a tactic, but the battle eased for a day or two and this enabled many of them to escape,' admitted Hazret Ali, who accused Gamsharik of falling for the ploy."
The timing of the events in these accounts, and some of the details are also corroborated in "Inside Al Qaeda" by Rohan Gunaratna, and in "Rumsfeld's War", by Rowan Scarborough.
That's even more useful than expected. Who needs a river crossing if the stream itself is dry most of the time?
Much appreciated!
Hmmm...I think he's been cured of his malaria...
Fair enough.
But this guy
Al Qaeda's Great Escape: The Military and the Media on Terror's Trail
by Philip Smucker
Has a slightly different take; Smucker was in Jalalabad and Tora Bora before and during the Bombardment and feels our allies there played both sides to help the escape.
And from your excerpt -
While these accounts from Al Qaeda insiders may well be deliberately misleading
Which is what I believe.
And this -
Bin Laden's ghostly voice was heard on a radio directing his troops around December 5
Was done from Pakistan, IMO.
Hazrat Ali, IMO, took American cash, played both sides, and ultimately helped AQ escape.
We were snookered.
Probably due to the 9/11 commission's report and revelations of inadequacies at the CIA.
I hope there's a pin representing binLaden somewhere in Iran on their map. I'm not so convinced he's on the Afghan-Pakistani border.
Here is what the NGA (NIMA) GEONames data base reports on that matter.
Searching: All geographic features ending with "Narai" in FATA, Pakistan:
Found: 297 hits, 286 were identified as being passes.
Searching: All geographic features ending with "Algad" in FATA, Pakistan:
Found: 612 hits, 610 were identified as being either streams or intermittent streams (3/4ths intermittent).
--Boot Hill
I agree, on every point. The reference I cited goes into detail on this issue of taking cash from both sides, but I didn't quote it as the post was already running long, and because it is a side issue.
If the warlords were the only sources placing Bin Laden at Tora Bora right up till the end of November, then their credibility would be an issue.
But with other sources saying the same thing, including reporters in Pakistan, Al Qaeda's cook, and both British and US intelligence, there doesn't seem to be a need to question the credibility of two out of the several sources.
Bin Laden isn't likely to throw his troops away. While his escape might preceed theirs by a few days or even a few weeks, he will be looking to get them disengaged and out of there as soon as possible, after he is safe, to preserve them for future use. The longer the enemy continues fighting hard in the Shakai, the more convinced I am that both Bin Laden and Zawahiri are still close by.
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